Esks.com
CFL.ca Staff
TORONTO – With the CFL Draft just over 24 hours away, it’s time to look back to see how every team has done in the last five years during the first round.
Any football fan would say that it is easier to do a draft in hindsight when determining how a draft selection will pan out. Every new year brings a fresh crop of players who are introduced to CFL fans with only them being able to decide their fate in the league.
Here is a list of the first round picks, per team, in the last five years and in this year’s draft order. Numbers in parenthesis indicate the overall selection of each player.
1. Ottawa REDBLACKS
2014: (4) Antoine Pruneau, DB
2013: (8) Nolan MacMillan, OL
The REDBLACKS, now entering their third season, look to continue building up their talent via the CFL Draft.
Last year, the team famously moved the first overall selection along with the rights to Marwan Hage to the Stamps for offensive lineman John Gott, who teamed up with 2013 pick MacMillan to form the offensive line of the expansion REDBLACKS.
After a flurry of trades with the Lions, and later the Als, the REDBLACKS ended up with the fourth overall pick, which they used to pick Antoine Pruneau. The safety/linebacker recorded 69 tackles and two sacks last year.
MacMillan proved his worth to Ottawa as he remains the starting right guard on the offensive line but also made appearances at right tackle last season.
CFL.ca’s prospect insider Justin Dunk has the REDBLACKS selecting offensive lineman Danny Groulx, who if selected by Ottawa would join MacMillan as drafted linemen in charge of protecting quarterback Henry Burris for years to come.
2. Winnipeg Blue Bombers
2014: (2) Matthias Goossen, OL
2013: (2) Andy Mulumba, DL
2012: (3) Tyson Pencer, OL, (8) pick forfeited
2011: (1) Henoc Muamba, LB, (4) Jade Etienne, WR
2010: No first round pick
Goossen made spot starts in his rookie year at right guard when not backing up centre Steve Morley on the offensive line. It remains to be seen where Goossen fits in for the upcoming campaign as Winnipeg signed nine-year CFL veteran Dominic Picard in the off-season.
The team’s other offensive line selection, Pencer spent three seasons with the Bombers but was released by the team in June. He is currently a free agent. The team lost its original selection in 2012 because they chose Kito Poblah in the supplemental draft the year prior.
Winnipeg drafted Andy Mulumba second overall in the 2013 but he opted to sign with the Green Bay Packers as an undrafted free agent. Shifting to linebacker, he recorded 16 tackles in 16 games over the last two seasons but missed most of 2014 after being placed on injured reserve.
The Bombers acquired the first overall pick in 2011 from the Argos in exchange for a future fourth-round pick and quarterback Steven Jyles, using it to select Muamba. Muamba become the first player from St. FX to ever be chosen first overall in the CFL Draft. He would appear on special teams during his rookie year but became an important piece of the Bombers’ defence the next season, recording 106 tackles (second-most in the league) while adding a sack, interception, fumble recovery and defensive touchdown. In 2013, Muamba was named the team’s Most Outstanding Player, Most Outstanding Canadian and Most Outstanding Defensive Player. He was released by the team in February 2014 to pursue an NFL contract and signed with the Indianapolis Colts, recording six tackles in 13 games last year.
Etienne played four total CFL seasons as a member of the Bombers and Riders and is now a free agent.
Winnipeg did not have a first-round pick in 2010 due to a trade with the Saskatchewan Roughriders.
3. Toronto Argonauts
2014: (3) Anthony Coombs, RB
2013: (8) Matthew Sewell, OL
2012: No first round pick
2011: (7) Tyler Holmes, OL
2010: (2) Joe Eppele, OT, (3) Cory Greenwood, LB
Toronto has put a strong emphasis on maintaining its drafted players as each of the Argos first-round picks, except for Eppele, remain on the roster.
Eppele was lost to the REDBLACKS during the Expansion Draft but enjoyed his first four CFL seasons with the Argos. His draft-mate Greenwood, who Toronto had traded up in the draft to select, just finished his rookie campaign with the blue-and-white after spending five seasons in the NFL, three with the Kansas City Chiefs and two with the Detroit Lions.
Coombs instantly went to work as a CFL rookie, becoming an important part of both the rushing and passing attack. He amassed 75 rushing yards over three games and brought down 22 passes for 214 total yards in five contests. Coombs is still looking for his first career touchdown after sustaining a season-ending injury vs. the Alouettes not long into 2014.
Despite having signed with the Tennessee Titans, the Argos still opted to select Sewell eighth overall. He was released by the Titans in May 2013 before returning to McMaster to complete his Masters of Business Administration. He finished his rookie year with the Argos last season.
Similar to Sewell, and a fellow offensive lineman, Holmes opted to try his luck in the NFL before returning to the CFL. He played one season for the Minnesota Vikings but was cut by the team the following training camp and signed with Toronto.
The Argos did not have a first-round pick in 2012 as they traded it along with quarterback Steven Jyles and Grant Shaw in a pre-draft swap with the Esks for star quarterback Ricky Ray.
4. Montreal Alouettes:
2014: (5) David Foucault, OL
2013: (3) Mike Edem, LB, (5) Steven Lumbala, RB
2012: No first round pick
2011: (8) Brody McKnight, K
2010: (7) Kristian Matte, OL
While the Alouettes famously boast an all-Canadian offensive line, the two they have selected in the CFL Draft are not members of that vaunted group.
Last year, the team selected hometown product Foucault, however the offensive lineman opted to attend the Carolina Panthers’ rookie minicamp on a tryout and ended up making the team as a tackle. He started one of his five games for the Panthers, becoming the first player taken from the University of Montreal to make an NFL roster.
Matte, meanwhile, has been a constant factor in protecting Montreal quarterbacks. Playing left guard, Matte was part of a line that allowed the second-fewest sacks in 2013.
The team traded its first round pick in 2012 to the BC Lions on draft day in exchange for kicker Sean Whyte, who remains with the team. This move comes a year after the team used the eighth overall selection on another kicker, Brody McKnight, but he was only a member of the practice roster. McKnight was packaged a year later in a deal with the Esks for kicker Derek Schiavone as well as a first and third round pick in the 2013 Draft. McKnight is now a free agent, last playing for Winnipeg in 2013, while Whyte remains the kicker for the Alouettes.
The two players the Alouettes selected in the 2013 Draft are still with the team. Edem, a safety, recorded five tackles, an interception, and 13 special teams tackles last season while Lumbala scored a one touchdown on seven rushing attempts over two games.
5. BC Lions
2014: No first round pick
2013: (6) Hunter Steward, OL
2012: (2) Jabar Westerman, DL, (7) Kirby Fabien, OL
2011: (6) Marco Iannuzzi, WR
2010: (4) Danny Watkins, OT
Whether intentional or not, the Lions have made a habit of drafting linemen from both sides of the ball in the CFL Draft and with a good record at it to boot. Westerman, Steward and Fabien all appeared for the Lions last season. Justin Dunk has the Lions selecting another lineman in his Mock Draft.
Iannuzzi has been featured all over the offence and special teams. Over four seasons, he has recorded 786 yards with seven touchdowns and has also been used as a rusher and kick returner.
After being selected by the Lions in the 2010 CFL Draft, Watkins declared himself for the NFL Draft, where he was chosen in the first round by the Philadelphia Eagles. He became the first player since 1986 to be picked in the first round of both drafts. He played two seasons with the Eagles and one with the Miami Dolphins before reportedly retiring to become a firefighter in Texas.
In a draft-day trade last year, the Lions acquired Kevin Glenn from the REDBLACKS in exchange for their first round pick.
6. Saskatchewan Roughriders
2014: No first round pick
2013: (4) Corey Watman, OL
2012: (1) Ben Heenan, OL
2011: No first round pick
2010: (1) Shomari Williams, LB
The Riders have a habit of trading their first-round picks for more selections further down in the draft, pulling this off in both 2011 and 2014. However, the team managed to select first overall twice in the span of three seasons, instantly acquiring top-end talent.
Heenan played three seasons for Saskatchewan, quickly becoming a starter as a rookie and winning a Grey Cup in 2012. He was released by the team in February so he could sign a three-year deal with the Indianapolis Colts.
Williams had two stints with the Riders, his first lasting three seasons where he recorded 59 tackles and two sacks. He became a member of the Ticats after signing as a free agent but missed much of the 2013 season with an injury. Williams was traded back to the Riders the following season, appearing in every regular season game before signing with the Stamps as a free agent this past off-season.
A regular on the offensive line last year, Watman appeared in 14 games, making two starts at guard.
7. Edmonton Eskimos
2014: (6) Devon Bailey, WR
2013: No first round pick
2012: (4) Austin Pasztor, OL, (6) Shamawd Chambers WR
2011: (2) Scott Mitchell, OL, (5) Nathan Coehoorn WR
2010: (6) Brian Bulcke, DL
The Eskimos have had their hand deepest in the cookie jar at the CFL Draft, making the most first round selections in the last five years.
Their investment in the passing attack, selecting three wide receivers in a four year span, has paid off on the score sheet. Bailey had two starts in 14 games as a rookie, making 17 catches for 219 yards while Chambers and Coehoorn combined for four touchdowns last year. Chambers’ best season came in 2013, amassing four touchdowns on 465 yards. Coehoorn posted a career-high 646 yards that same season.
Mitchell played three seasons with Edmonton before signing with the Argos. He is now a free agent. Pasztor never ended up playing for the Esks. After being cut by the Minnesota Vikings, he worked his way to the starting lineup of the Jacksonville Jaguars from the practice squad and is now their right tackle.
After being chosen sixth overall, Bulcke elected to remain at Stanford for one more season. While in school, the Eskimos traded his rights to the Stamps where Bulcke played for two seasons after trying out for the San Francisco 49ers. He signed a free-agent deal with the Ti-Cats in 2013, helping the team to the Grey Cup. Bulcke suffered a season-ending injury last year.
8. Hamilton Tiger-Cats
2014: (8) Beau Landry, LB, (9) Evan Gill, DL
2013: (1) Linden Gaydosh, DL
2012: No first round pick
2011: No first round pick
2010: Pick forfeited
The Ticats have been forced to use just the last two drafts to replenish their stock after a series of moves left them with no first round picks for three straight seasons.
The team forfeited its 2010 selection after choosing Zac Carlson in the 2009 Supplemental Draft, who played just one season in Hamilton and another in Calgary. In both 2011 and 2012, Hamilton traded down in the draft to acquire more picks in lower rounds.
The players they have chosen, however, have paid dividends.
Shortly after being chosen first overall, Gaydosh signed with the Carolina Panthers but spent the entire 2013 season on the injured reserve list before being waived the next year. He then signed with the Ticats and recorded eight tackles (two for loss) and a pass knockdown in nine regular season games and two playoff contests. Unfortunately, he reportedly tore his Achilles tendon this off-season with Hamilton and is expected to miss the entire 2015 season.
Gill opted to play one more season with the Manitoba Bisons in order to heal from an injury. In 2014, he was selected to participate in the NCAA East-West Shrine Game, becoming just the third Bison to appear in the exhibition. His draft-mate Landry recorded 11 special teams tackles last season.
9. Calgary Stampeders
2014: (1) Pierre Lavertu, C, (7) Quinn Smith, DL
2013: (7) Brander Craighead, OL
2012: (5) Ameet Pall, DL
2011: (3) Anthony Parker, WR
2010: (5) Rob Maver, K/P
The Stampeders’ strong drafting is a big reason why they are the defending Grey Cup champions.
Pall is the only member of the list who is no longer with the Stamps. He was cut by the team shortly after being drafted, never making it off the practice roster. From there, he spent two seasons with Montreal and is now with the Bombers.
Maver played in all 18 games last year, punting for 5,588 yards and eight singles. He is a three-time West Division all-star, a two-time CFL all-star and was the 2013 CFLPA all-star punter. Maver was also named Special Teams Player of the Week twice in 2013.
In four seasons with Calgary, Parker has amassed six touchdowns and 666 total receiving yards, along with 141 rushing yards and some time as a kick returner. Parker had a career year last season, scoring four touchdowns on 360 yards, both personal bests and tied for second-most receiving scores on the team.
Craighead started seven games last season between the two guard position but missed 11 regular season games and the entire post-season due to injury. Lavertu started three of his 15 games during his rookie campaign. Smith had 11 tackles and four sacks last year and was named CFL Canadian Player of the Week after recording three sacks in one game.
